


A Stray Kitten

by drumrockstar21



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, I'm not gonna tag it because spoilers, but just know, okay but seriously, the first two chapters have a big ol' plot reveal, this is probably one of my favorite ones I've written
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-04 20:45:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11563005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drumrockstar21/pseuds/drumrockstar21
Summary: He glanced around, unimpressed with his surroundings. Dust floated throughout the dirty, yellowed sun rays. It seemed to settle like snow on the entire room. Adrien could almost feel the weight of it on himself, it was no wonder the tiny black cat kwami felt at home here. Sunlight to lay in, dust to lay around the room, just like he would do when he found time.As tempting as it was to curl up on the couch again, Adrien had a to-do list today.And it started with laundry.(Yes I know it's a vague summary, but the plot reveal doesn't come till the second chapter!)





	1. Moonlit Daydreams

**Author's Note:**

> The first two chapters lead up to a reveal. I love how this came out, and we all have 2 am Spencer to thank for it.

\---  
The summer wind  
Came blowing in  
From across the sea

It lingered there  
To touch your hair  
And walk with me  
\---

It had long become a pastime of Chat Noir and Ladybug to share their music. Adrien, wanting nothing more than to spend time with Ladybug, had persuaded her that it was "team bonding." 

So, after patrol, the team of two would sit down and each play at least one song off of their phones. Since their patrol ended near the walled banks of the Seine, that's where they listened to music through Marinette's non-descript blue earbuds. 

Marinette had also begun bringing some non-descript snacks. 

Carefully choosing items without the bakery logo on them, she would sort through some of the day-or-so old treats. Marinette found her partner would eat essentially any of the pastries she brought. 

She found it odd however, that he clearly didn't like lemon. Now that in itself wasn't odd, but rather that despite his poorly hidden distaste (he at least pretended to enjoy it!), he always ate it. Every single time. She decided to question him. 

"You know, just because I bring lemon doesn't mean you have to eat it." 

He unpuckered his lips, surprised by her statement. Apparently he thought he had covered it up pretty well. 'Silly cat, every expression gets written all over your face.' She thought. 

He opened his mouth to object, but closed it before the words escaped. He started, this time seeming more timid. "I know, but...I don't want to waste them, you know?"

Living in a bakery meant she could relate. As far as Chat knew though, she got her treats from a friend who lived in a bakery. While it wasn't the cleanest cover up, he would have to dig pretty hard to even come up with a list of names. Paris certainly had more than just her parents' bakery. 

Besides that, she trusted him not to go digging. 

"Well, alright. As long as you know that you don't have to eat them if you don't want." But she didn't push the subject. It hadn't gone unnoticed that, if she brought a larger box of pasteries, he would slide any leftover food into a small cloth bag he kept in his pocket. He made a habit of eating the sweet treats in front of her, and stowing away the heartier breads for later. 

'Maybe he shares them with his family.' She reasoned. The thought of a civilian Chat handing out the healthier treats to his brothers or sisters warmed her heart. 

"Aww, but Chat! Why don't you ever bring us the sweet ones?" His younger brother would whine. 

"Well," he might say, "if I did, you would eat sooooo many, that you would get big and fat, like a lazy house cat!" Which would earn a disdainful meowing from their own lazy house cat. 

'He's so lively and outgoing, he must have a loud and lively family to match.' She daydreamed as her choice of Frank Sinatra came to an end. 

"I liked that song. I'll have to listen to more of his stuff!" Chat said through a grin. 

While both of them liked Jagged Stone, the rest of their tastes were up in the air. Both of them were very open to music, and therefore listened to whatever they came across with an open mind. 

He carefully removed the headphone jack from her phone to place it in the bottom of his. A few seconds later, a song she recognized from Nirvana came on. 

"What's the name of this one? I've heard it before." She asked him, speaking into his empty left ear. 

"Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. It's one of their more famous ones." He said back, leaning in slightly. 

He drifted back into his own space, nodding along with the sandpaper rough guitar riffs. 

'He's been less touchy lately as well. Maybe...maybe he found someone?' It was a thought that made her happy, even if she had to ignore her own possessiveness. She suddenly could relate to Alya saying she would beat Adrien up if he ever did anything to hurt Marinette. Not that she had any right to pry into Chat Noir's private life, but she certainly could wonder. 

If he really had found someone, then it would explain why he seemed more tired lately...

She quickly dropped the thought from her mind. Again, what Chat Noir did without black cat ears was his business, not hers. 

Or maybe he kept the ears...

She halfheartedly listened to the song as her mind wandered. This time, she allowed it to leave the confines of 'safe' and imagined a girl that Chat would be with. 

A blonde girl probably, or perhaps a cute redhead! One with long curly hair. Freckles too, he had always been enamored with her own, despite only a few being visible. A cute couple on cute dates. He would be the type of guy to pick her up by the waist. A quick twirl with her in the air, and then a peck on the lips. It would be an absolutely adorable scene. 

When the song came down to a close, he opened his eyes. She hadn't even realized he'd closed them. She had been staring at him in her mental ramblings, and caught the hitch of embarrassment when he looked to realize she had been watching him jam out to Nirvana. 

Whatever awkwardness was there was pushed to the side as he took out the earbud and wiped it off with his gloved fingertips. 

'Considerate.' She added to the growing list of adjectives she had for him. 

Offering it to her, she received it back and he made motion to stand. He hesitated midway, as though to speak, before he released the preparatory breath he had taken in for the words. 

With limber movement, he rolled onto his back before spring-boarding up to his feet. Had anyone other than a literal super hero done that on the concrete edge of the Seine, she might have worried. Seeing as he did the same after almost every patrol/jam session, she stood up unfazed. 

"Well, once again I thank you for the delectable treats My Lady." He said, bowing. "As always, they leave me almost cat-atonically lethargic. So it's time for me to go and take my cat nap."

Okay, so maybe he still flirted a little bit. 

"Goodnight Chat." She said with a thinly veiled giggle. She didn't mind the laughter had bled through into her farewell. 

"Goodnight My Lady."

And as he bounded off towards the still-rising moon, she wondered what he was running home to. She could only imagine how wonderful his life must be for him to act so light-hearted whenever they met.


	2. Dinner and a Show

"Claws in." Adrien said as he landed into the alleyway. He was only a few blocks from the place he called home. 

'If you can even call it a home.' He thought disdainfully. 

After all, he couldn't have people seeing Chat Noir bound into the same second story window three nights a week. That would have garnered more than a little attention. Even if he lived somewhere people didn't generally go out late, he couldn't afford to be risky. 

Walking along the street, Adrien mused about what he learned tonight. 

Ladybug had addressed how he didn't need to eat the lemon pastries if he didn't want to. 

'Considerate.' He added once again to his mental notebook of her. 

Ladybug listened to Frank Sinatra, someone his piano instructor had introduced him to. He had loved to learn the swing style. In fact, he was going to play something when he got back home. Noise laws be damned. 

And then she giggled at his puns! A very rare treat indeed, much rarer than the macarons he only would get from Ladybug. It wasn't that he couldn't go get them himself, he just...wouldn't splurge for them. 

After all, he still had a figure to watch. 

After a short walk home, he was able to climb over the gated entrance. Mercifully he was unseen, he still remembered the time he had been caught by a police officer. It had been a very awkward scene indeed. 

Suppressing a shiver the memory brought up, he pushed open the large wooden door leading into an empty foyer. 

"Hello?" His voice echoed through the high ceilinged lobby. Nobody answered. A fact that both relieved and depressed him. 

Taking in a shaky breath, ('from climbing the fence.' He reasoned.) he made his way inside. 

He flicked on the overhead lights, the switch seeming significantly heavier than normal. 

Plagg flitted off to the kitchen to pilfer what was left of the Camembert supply. Adrien's eyes didn't follow his small friend after he made it a few feet away. 

He trusted that no one was in the kitchen, same as no one was in the lobby, same as no one would be near the piano. 

Adrien took off his white overshirt. Honestly though, "white" was beginning to be an overstatement. He wore it so much that it was becoming a bit more brownish-grey, especially around the edges. 

'I should wash it tomorrow, it is Saturday after all.' He thought, flinging it onto a pile of dirtied clothes. 

It was a notably muggy summer night. Being leather-clad Chat Noir had him almost sweating when simply sitting next to the Seine. Not to mention how running around across rooftops made him feel excessively warm. 

"I should probably wash myself tomorrow too." He chuckled aloud. The memory of spending time with Ladybug allowing his heart to lighten up in spite of his lonely mood. 

'A lonely mood to match a lonely home.' He thought, letting his mind drag him back down to his current reality. 

"Yeah, for real kid. When was the last time you showered, like last week? You know that AXE stuff doesn't count right?" Came a nasal voice, floating towards Adrien. 

Adrien rolled his eyes at him, "Oh yeah, like you have room to talk Mr. Stinky-cheese-is-the-only-friend-I'll-ever-need." 

Plagg narrowed his eyes at the boy. "I resent that remark. Cheese is one of the most delicate perfumes to have ever graced this planet." He added in some sass for the next line, "And thats coming straight from the god of destruction to your ears kid."

"Pffffft" Adrien noised at him. Waving the kwami off, he stripped off his T-shirt and folded it up. He set it delicately on the couch next to the piano. 

"Adrien, do you have no shame?" Plagg asked snidely. 

"Hey, we are in my domain!" Adrien said looking up to the ceiling, allowing his voice to boom off the walls. "I'll be bare-naked if I want!" He shouted, taking satisfaction in how the joking (yet true) words bounced around the room. 

Plagg only gave him a "Psshhht, whatever." back, before settling above the piano keys to eat his cheese. He managed to keep his crumbs from dropping into the ivories. Something Adrien had harped on him for doing more than a few times. 

After a brief warm up, Adrien began to play one of his favored swing tunes. A fitting title even, "It Don't Mean a Thing (if it Ain't got that Swing)"

Plagg only purred as the vibration from the now familiar tune reverberated through him. It was comforting really, seeing the boy enjoy something. Anything really. After all he'd been though, he deserved it. 

Before either of them knew it, the song was completed. Adrien looked out into the empty dinner tables. Each surrounded by ornate wooden chairs. He imagined a crowd of people cheering that he had played the piece splendidly, asking for another one. He was tempted to oblige. 

But it was late, and even if the next day was Saturday, Adrien had things to do the next morning. He had been scheduled an afternoon photoshoot as well. While he didn't revel in the events, he remembered that doing a photoshoot meant he would get a paycheck. 

A paycheck would be nice. 

Standing from the piano bench, Adrien walked off the stage towards the kitchen. He opened the fridge to pull out a cherry flavored croissant. He watched as Plagg eyed the remaining Camembert, and was relieved when the kwami pulled his hungry gaze away. 

"Don't worry Plagg, we can get some after the photoshoot tomorrow." Adrien smiled down towards where the small cat was floating. He closed the fridge. He took a hungry bite from the pastry. Nowadays he understood why Plagg savored his cheese. 

Walking out the red, double-hinged kitchen doors, Adrien padded onto the hardwood stage, no longer bothering to hide his exhaustion. 

He stopped midway reaching for the light switch when Plagg addressed him. 

"You know...Adrien."

The boy looked at him expectantly. Plagg had zipped up to face level after following behind him out of the kitchen. 

"I...I don't have to have Camembert. Really! Anything works! I know it's a bit more expensive...and I... I just..." he uncharacteristically trailed off.

He could be sweet when it came down to it. Especially lately. He almost missed the old Plagg, when he would satirize every decision he made. Plagg's emotions rarely used to show, usually only when Adrien was upset about his father. Lately though, it seemed the kwami was letting up; Adrien was grateful for it. 

"Plagg, really it's fine. I know it's your favorite, and I don't mind spending a little extra for you."

But Plagg was insistent. "Oh come on! We both know money is tight!" Suddenly his tone became almost parent-like. "You can still be Chat Noir if I have cheddar cheese, but you can't be Chat Noir if you're collapsed over from hunger! What would Ladybug think if you passed out in the middle of an akuma fight, huh?"

Adrien flinched down to the bone at the final sentence. The truth of his words stung, and he knew he couldn't debate the reality of his situation. 

"I...okay. You're right..." Adrien swallowed hard as he pulled down the heavy switch to break power off from the auditorium. 

The stage lights clicked off. The large room suddenly became chokingly dark. Only the thin row of windows along the edge of the ceiling let moonlight drop into the room. 

Grateful yet again for Plagg and the powers granted to him, Adrien easily made his way to the couch with his heightened vision. It wasn't quite night vision per say, but it was certainly better than any normal person's eyesight. 

Adrien carefully moved his folded shirt to the piano bench. Pulling the very worn, cotton blanket off the back of their contrastingly like-new couch, he laid down on his back. His head rested on the arm rest while his socked feet sprawled over the other end of the couch. The bottoms of his jeans poked out under the blanket as well. 

Adrien pulled the blanket down to his stomach. The air was stiflingly warm. He wouldn't ask Plagg to transform just so he could close the ceiling high windows though. 

One thing however, had been gnawing at the back of his head. 

"Plagg?" To which he got a grunt from the black ball curled on the back of the couch. "I know you told me not to worry about it, but how the hell did you get this nice of a couch?" 

The furniture in question was a rather modern piece. Eggshell white cloth, all of the edges were squared or rectangular. It even had comfortable cushions! The back, which Plagg preferred to sleep on, was about four inches wide. Minimalistic-modern or not, it wasn't a cheap sitting piece. 

Plagg chuckled at the memory of scaring the moving company guy who had been at the next door apartment. He was so freaked out, he had jumped in the truck and drove away with his buddy still in the back end! Picking up the couch was as easy as telling Adrien "Someone just left this out here! I heard them complaining about the garbage company charging them to haul it away. You're doing them a favor Adrien!" 

Although Adrien had been skeptical (and still was if him asking again was any clue) he hadn't put up much of a fight. Anything sounded better than sleeping on the stage floor another night. 

Plagg just chuckled at Adrien's question. He looked around at "their domain." An abandoned dinner-theater building. Finally he ended up on the glowing green eyes looking up at him from the couch, before closing his own green eyes. 

"I told you kid...don't worry about it."


	3. Dirty Laundry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading the comments you guys leave! Some of them I see and think "I know the answer!!!"
> 
> Then some of them I read and think "Oh crap I hadn't thought about that..."
> 
> Thank you all!!

The next day had started just as Adrien predicted it would. He woke up to sunlight burning his eyes through the line of windows. Stubbornly, he clenched them tighter in a vain attempt to force the light to dissipate. The thin skin flaps did almost nothing to slow the piercing brightness. 

It wasn't until the light was also covering Plagg's eyes (a fact he gathered from the disgruntled noises above him) that he found the energy to sit up on the couch. 

He glanced around, unimpressed with his surroundings. Dust floated throughout the dirty, yellowed sun rays. It seemed to settle like snow on the entire room. Adrien could almost feel the weight of it on himself, it was no wonder the tiny black cat felt at home here. Sunlight to lay in, dust to lay around the room, just like he would do when he found time. 

As tempting as it was to curl up on the couch again, Adrien had a to-do list today. 

And it started with laundry. 

His blonde hair disappeared for a brief moment as he slipped on his shirt. It was the same one he had folded up and set on the piano bench. He grabbed his large trash bag and eyed the pile of clothing on the table nearest to the stage. 

As much as he enjoyed feeling independent, it had been hard won. The fight was still an uphill battle; he was faced with getting his own food, squatting in his new home, and of course...

laundry. 

Resisting against the audible urging of his stomach, Adrien gathered the dirty clothes. Jeans, shirts, socks, his lone hoodie, and of course, his unmentionables. 

_'It's just underwear.'_ He thought, _'Why would it be "unmentionable"? Pretty much everyone wears it right?'_

With the passing thought that he didn't actually know how many people around him wore underwear, he opened the door to the laundromat before he knew he was even there. Days had began running together, he was losing himself in thought more and more these days. 

Losing his prefabricated schedules hadn't changed the fact that many days melded together. The only change was that instead of being rushed around by other people, he now had to do it himself. 

Adrien vaguely registered himself putting jeans into the machine. Homeless or not, Adrien Agreste was not about to make all his white clothes faintly blue. 

From his place along the back wall, he was turned away from the door. Rows, about four rows actually, of machines separated him from the exit. He had placed himself just next to the edge of the main aisle. One wide column down the middle of the fixtures. People still came in and out of the laundromat. The bell on the door signified that. 

If there was one thing Adrien could take solace in, it was that these people could live normal lives because of him. Because he and Ladybug risked themselves to protect them. It wasn't something they had chosen, but it was something he would never give up. Not until his last breath. 

"Dammit" Adrien mumbled, he just knew he had another laundry token in these pants. Maybe the other pocket? 

_'Ugh no. Wher-oh wait! There it is!'_

Relieved that he wouldn't have to search though the pile of jeans for spare change, he pushed the coin into the washing machine. 

_'Lucky this place is just around the corner. I can head back and hang my clothes to dry in the theater.'_

Adrien turned from the wall of machines, looking around as the wash cycle started up. He unabashedly watched others do their own laundry while he leaned on a row of top load dryers. How else was he supposed to learn? It's not like anyone had ever been around to teach him how to do laundry. 

Before he could once again lose himself in his thoughts, he caught sight of blue bangs raising up in front of a white machine. He immediately dropped into cover, not daring to peek over the top. 

_"What?! No! I can't do that, I'd make a complete idiot out myself!"_

She was speaking with someone, but he couldn't hear anyone responding to her. He was thoroughly confused for longer than he wanted to admit, till finally it hit him. 

_'She's on the phone you dolt.'_

Well that would explain how she hadn't noticed him first. She would be looking straight at him if he hadn't ducked out of sight. Minutes passed as his frazzled brain tried to form a plan. 

_'Marinette cannot see me. If she sees the son of Gabriel Agreste doing his laundry in public, there's going to be lots of questions.'_

Adrien was honestly impressed at how well he had hidden his lack of a home. Not having a house was the easy part since no one asked to come to his house anyways. Really only Nino would have asked, and he was still banned from the Agreste manor. 

He was still taking part in his extra curricular activities, so nothing was amiss there. Photo shoots went on per usual as well. The hardest part was explaining why a model might have dirty clothes, hence why he was here. 

Once Nino had asked why his once white overshirt was becoming colored more and more with stains. Adrien just claimed that it was his favorite shirt, and he didn't want to part with it. While it had worked that time, he couldn't exactly claim the same for all of his clothes. Not without raising suspicion at least. 

A buzzer sounding behind him refocused his attention. Suddenly he saw the time limit in his mind. He could only leave his wet clothes in the machine for so long. Who knew how long Marinette might be doing laundry for? If he was going to leave, it needed to be now, while she was still distracted on the phone. 

Adrien slunk around the row of machines. He made his way to the edge of his row and peeked around into the aisle Marinette stood in. She was leaning against her machine, facing out towards the windows. At the very least he could now gather his sopping wet laundry. 

Adrien scurried back to his machine. Taking a breath to steady himself he stood, only glancing briefly to reaffirm Marinette was faced away from him. As quietly as he could, he opened the washer door. The click was unavoidable, but he tried to muffle it with his hands. 

He dared another glance to the girl who was, luckily, oblivious to his presence. Famous model Adrien Agreste scrambled to fill his trashbag with wet laundry. It was quite a sight to see the young blonde rush from one machine to the next. 

His pace quickened when he heard Marinette begin her goodbyes with who he could only guess was Alya. Or maybe her mother? Either way he had no time to wildly speculate, she was bound to turn around any second now! 

Emptying the last machine, he dashed down the far aisle of appliances. When he sensed he was approaching her peripheral vision, he waited. Waited for the perfect opportunity to make a mad dash for the door. 

_"Okay Alya, see you later then...mmhmm...I won't be late!...ugh k bye."_

Just as Marinette turned back towards her machine, he power walked as nonchalantly as possible to avoid drawing her attention. 

He was going to make it!

But maybe Marinette's senses were keener than most. Or perhaps she was unwittingly attuned to the movements of Chat Noir. Whatever the case, her face darted up in recognition of his movement. 

Her brows furrowed and her neck pulled her head back slightly. 

"Adrien?"

There was a beat of silence where he knew he was caught. His brain panicked and his body took only a moment to catch up. Only one word came to mind and transferred to his body. 

_'Run.'_

Before Adrien could process another thought, he bolted for the door. Carrying his plastic trashbag of clothes over his shoulder, he shoved the door open, abusing the small bell above it. 

As he sprinted down the sidewalk, he heard the bell scream out again. 

"Adrien, wait!"

He couldn't. Not ever. Especially not like this. He had been caught red handed. To make matters worse his reaction would only provoke more questions. Marinette would surely tell Alya, who would tell Nino, who would, rightly, feel betrayed. 

His friend knew that Adrien didn't like to talk about his own problems, but this was a different matter completely. He was literally without a home, and he had carried on around his friends as though nothing was new in his life. 

In reality, Adrien could feel himself breaking. Cracks had been forming in his heart and Marinette seeing him at the laundromat was like a bitter tasting rock being thrown at him. It finally was all about to shatter. His psyche was at its limit, and his eyes felt ready to explode. 

He could hear the girl chasing him down. He knew she would catch him easily since he had a bag of clothes with him. There was only one thing he could do, his muddled mind told him. 

_'Keep running.'_

Steaming hot tears running along with his feet, Adrien turned into the next alleyway he saw. 

Seconds later, he looked down at Marinette with his tail furiously twitching. She stood staring at the black garbage back he had dropped as a distraction. 

He pulled himself away, forcing his legs to keep moving. Sheer willpower brought him to the banks of the Seine. It was the same place he and Ladybug would end their patrols. He looked out into the water, arms around his knees, huddled against the stone wall. Sobs took over his body; tears continued to burn down his cheeks. 

The only place where they didn't burn was where his mask resided.


	4. To Make it Easier

The rest of Adrien's weekend had gone on without incident. 

He used the last of his cash for groceries, made it though a photoshoot, and cashed his paycheck. Most of it was still "untouchable" due to his father's meddling. The meager amount he received in hand would usually last him long enough though. 

With some stretching. 

After that, the photoshoot had run so late, he decided to wait for the next day to get the remainder of his groceries with his fresh new paycheck. 

He managed to be so exhausted that he hadn't thought of the issues waiting for him at school on Monday before falling asleep Saturday evening. Of course, that didn't stop him from waking up at noon on Sunday to rapidly break down into tears. 

Plagg did his best to comfort him, but _"Come on kid, if you ruin the couch, then I'll start crying too!"_ hadn't been enough to stop him either. Even if it had been good natured, jokes wouldn't fix anything. 

Running back to his father was beginning to sound more and more acceptable to his aching heart. 

He wouldn't though. He couldn't! His freedom had already been borderline nonexistent before. If he came crawling back now, his father's hold would only tighten further. It had almost strangled him before he had secured his own freedom. 

It was secure, for now. But it still had cost him so many tears. 

Adrien composed himself enough to go back out to the supermarket. Reluctantly, he checked out with his loaf of bread, package of sliced ham, and two blocks of cheddar cheese. He had reached to grab the Camembert, but a sharp bite through his shirt pocket persuaded his hand to pick up the cheaper cheddar instead. After paying for the food, he went straight home. He placed what was leftover from his grocery money into the clear jar sitting on one of the central dining tables. It was little more than a dusting on the bottom of the jar.

But it was _his._

Now that was something he could be proud of, if only for a fleeting second before the now constant stress inevitably set back in. 

Adrien sprawled out over the couch that rested on the silent stage. He was certainly exhausted enough to sleep, but his mind could only process the looks of what _he_ had registered as horror on Marinette's face. It was hard to tell, everything had happened in such a flash. 

She seemed so shocked to see him. It made sense though, a famous model, son of a famous designer, and the same famous model being someone she personally knew. Then here he was washing his clothes at a laundromat. Why wouldn't she be dumbstruck at the sight? It certainly put his true living standards into question. 

Maybe he could pass it off as his father teaching him responsibility? That might be a longshot, but he could probably get away with saying it was Nathalie's idea. 

Which still wouldn't explain why he bolted. 

He could feel the tears of frustration coming back to the edges of his eyes. Now that the dam had been broken, it wouldn't take much to make the salted water spill out again. In a few days, his emotional defenses would be rebuilt and he wouldn't cry so easily. But right now...

He needed to pull himself together, he had patrol with Ladybug in less than an hour. He couldn't afford to have the remnants of tears showing in his eyes. 

The struggle to calm himself was all too real. His thoughts pinballed between his friends, his father, and Ladybug. It was bad enough his friends were on the verge of learning his second secret life, he didn't want to think of how Ladybug might react. Would she reject him? After all, who wants to be around a mangy, homeless stray?

_'No,'_ his logic told him. _'She would never do that, it's not in her nature.'_

But the idea she would politely overlook it was almost worse. The idea that she would feel uncomfortable, but be too polite to say anything. That she would have to simply _put up_ with him. 

It made him feel... _undesirable._ One might think, being a model, he would feel wanted by nearly everyone. That was hardly ever the case though. He was little more than a mannequin. 

It scared him that Ladybug, one of a select few people who saw him as someone other than just a model, would find the real person he was as undesirable. She was the one person who had seen him as a human. Ladybug had scarcely twice met perfect-model-and-porcelain-doll-son Adrien Agreste. 

Looking at the large digital clock above the technical booth, he realized that patrol was now only minutes away. He mentally cursed himself for allowing his tears to continue this close to see his Lady. The best he could do was try and rub the stains out of his eyes and hope it was too dark for her to notice. 

"Plagg, transform me." Adrien said, a good deal more lackluster than usual. He bounded to the vaulted roofs of Notre Dame. Ladybug was already there, watching as he made his approach. 

She spoke as he landed next to her.

"Well well Mr. Noir. I'd say you're aboooouuut," she checked her yo-yo, presumably for the time. "3 minutes late! How long do you expect me to wait on rooftops for you?" She lilted playfully. 

Adrien gathered all his energy and pushed a smile to his lips. It was almost convincing! 

Almost. 

"Well, who am I to make the great Ladybug into a lady-in-waiting?" He shot back. 

She supposed it would be as close to an apology as she would get from him. Taking note of his strained facial features, she hesitated only a second before speaking. 

"I...I don't think that means what you think it does Chat." She said through a suspicious smile. She eyed him carefully before throwing her yo-yo across the street. "Well come on alley cat, Paris isn't going to patrol itself." She smiled before taking the leap to the next building. 

He only nodded before following suit. 

_'She's suspicious, I need to act casual.'_ His mind told him as they hurtled along the rooftops. His heart ached to tell her though. To be honest with _someone._

With little time to talk while sprinting across buildings, the two finally slowed down when they neared their patrol's end. Adrien's improved vision picked up on the presence of two bakery boxes rather than the usual one. 

He licked his lips hungrily. _'That's a few days worth of food there.'_ His mind whispered to him through the slight wooziness. He had finally adjusted to the fact he would be a bit out of energy after a patrol. Running on an empty stomach tended to make one more than a little dizzy; he had found out the hard way. 

As they landed, she knew he would be curious about the additional treats, so she spoke up before he could ask. "They're for your family." She said with an innocently cheery smile. "I noticed you take a few home, so I...well I kind of assumed they're for your siblings, right?" She explained naively. 

Adrien only allowed his stunned gape to show for a second before his modelesque mask was put back on. 

"O-oh yeah! Thanks Ladybug, I really appreciate it." He said with his perfect smile. It was smaller than his usual Chat Noir grin, but rather it was the one he wore as Adrien. The same smile he used to get through his father's events or when his friends asked how he was. 

He had nearly perfected that smile. 

And while it felt out of place with the mask resting on his cheeks, Ladybug seemed to accept it happily. He couldn't thank her enough for this, even if he couldn't explain to her why. 

Ladybug sat on the stone-lined edge of the river, "What's your family like Chat?"

He paused mid-sit. He could lie to her...but he knew he couldn't really. At least not about having brothers and sisters like she apparently thought. 

_'At least she doesn't think I'm homeless.'_ He thought grimly. 

"Oh...well, I don't actually have siblings." He told her. She turned to him with raised eyebrows, so he continued. His tail flicked fervently as he fought down the guilt of lying. "Y-you see, when I take treats home, they're for my parents!" He said a little too loudly. 

Again she simply accepted it without a second thought. 

_'Why is lying about your parents better than lying about having siblings?'_ His logical side told him. 

He pushed the thoughts away and distracted himself with food. Beautiful, beautiful food. 

If he kept pastries in his mouth, he wouldn't have to lie to someone who trusted him implicitly. 

The thought struck his stomach like a spear. She really did trust him. Even when he was floundering for an answer, she gave him the benefit of the doubt. 

She trusted him. 

He bit down on his lip hard to keep the forming tears inside. They burned behind his eyes and rattled their cage. Every drop fought to break out. 

She had been speaking pleasantly while he struggled with himself. Seemingly distracted with what she was saying, he hoped he could pick up halfway through. 

"-but her family is so loud! I'm an only child though, like you. It...gets a little lonely sometimes honestly."

Adrien spoke before thoughts crossed his mind. "Well I could come over sometime!" He said excitedly, without a hint of flirting. 

She still took it as such though, giggling at his eagerness. "Right Chat, I'll just tell my parents that Chat Noir is coming over for dinner tomorrow night shall I?"

Adrien liked the sound of that, a true grin crossing his face. 

"Yeah! That sounds amazing!" He said, invading her personal space slightly. 

She coyly pushed him back, hand to his chest. "Come on Chat, it's your turn to sample music." She said clearly just to change subject. 

He complied, genuinely smiling now, and pulled his phone out. He pointedly ignored his text from Nathalie with his schedule for the week. As Ladybug pulled her earbuds from the plastic baggie in the pastry box, he pulled up his song choice for the evening. 

Once situated, he started the song up. A piano with a swing style began, quickly followed by the pleasantly harsh tone of a trumpet. It wasn't grating, but with an intonation that made it feel rough. The note transitions though were surprisingly smooth. 

Ladybug appeared concentrated, like she was trying to place her finger on the song. Her face lit up as soon as the vocals began. 

"Louis Armstrong!"

\-----  
What good is melody?  
What good is music?  
If it ain't possesin' something sweet.

Now it ain't the melody,  
And it ain't the-  
\------

"I haven't heard this song in forever." She interrupted. 

He leaned his head in to speak to her, "Yeah this is one of my favorite songs to play on the piano." He said quietly. 

She jerked her head back and doing so yanked out his earbud painfully. He winced and brought his clawed hand up to his ear. 

Twisting his head to look at her, he saw her eyes were blown wide and staring straight into his. Disbelief colored her features. His own eyes grew wide at her apparent shock. 

"You play the piano?!" She asked incredulously. 

"Yeah," he said through a bashfully proud smile. 

Her disbelief morphed into a challengingly determined glare. 

"Prove it."


End file.
